News

Washington Hospital services is pleased to announce its newest Industry Partner Cordant Health Solutions. Cordant is a national leader in offering comprehensive laboratory services for toxicology. They are one of the only in the country that is certified through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ SAMHSA program to perform federally mandated testing.... Read More >>

The Washington State Department of Labor (L&I) and stakeholder groups continue to discuss modifying the Hazardous Drugs rules in WAC 296-62-500, Part R, to allow flexibility in provisions related to hospital equipment needed for the handling of hazardous drugs.... Read More >>

The American Hospital Association (AHA) Board of Trustees has named Meg Fallows of Kadlec Regional Medical Center to its national Committee on Volunteers. Across the country, volunteers play key service roles to hospitals of all sizes. Not only do they provide compassionate and patient-centered service, but they also contribute thousands of hours of their own time to help meet the needs of patients.... Read More >>

Quincy Valley Medical Center Administrator Medhi Merred will resign from his position Dec. 12, as he will move to France with his wife and son and begin a new business venture. Medhi has been the hospital’s administrator for roughly 10 years, during which time the hospital remodeled its surgery suites and opened a renovated outpatient clinic.... Read More >>

Cascade Valley Hospital and Clinics' Board of Commissioners voted Nov. 4 to formally approve the hospital’s merger with Skagit Regional Health. The hospitals announced in March an intent to merge, and both hospitals would keep their publicly elected boards.... Read More >>

With open enrollment underway, Jefferson Healthcare’s financial service office is helping Port Townsend area residents navigate the process of signing up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. In addition to regular office hours when members of the public can visit for assistance, the financial service office is opening its doors on numerous Saturdays between November and January, and counselors will be on hand on several Saturdays at the Jefferson County Library to assist the community.... Read More >>

Washington Hospital Services Industry Partner Staff Care, Inc. will present the 2015 award to a physician who practices in a rural community and is engaged in such primary care areas as general practice, family practice, internal medicine and pediatrics.... Read More >>

Member news headlines from the Nov. 5, 2015 Weekly Report.... Read More >>

WSHA has been working hard to verify the appropriateness of the recent Health Care Authority (HCA) proposed reductions for payment rates for Prospective Payment System (PPS) hospitals. The HCA recently sent PPS hospitals notices of new Medicaid inpatient and outpatient payment rates, effective Nov. 1, 2015. The rates include an 8 percent reduction for inpatient rates and an 8 percent reduction for outpatient. These changes are due to state calculations to ensure budget neutrality with the payment rates in effect prior to the July 1, 2014 rebasing.... Read More >>

The president Nov. 2 signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act, P.L. 114-74, passed by Congress last week to raise the nation’s debt limit and set spending targets for the federal budget for the next two fiscal years. Site-neutral payments for new provider-based hospital outpatient departments are included in the legislation – a provision that was strongly opposed by the American Hospital Association (AHA) and WSHA.... Read More >>